LOS ANGELES – Devon Kennard gets to play in his hometown of Phoenix on Saturday. Given what Kennard endured last year, he’d be just as happy to play in Fargo, Biloxi or anywhere else with a lined field.

USC’s players stumbled to a 7-6 record in 2012, but those guys had it easy. At least they controlled their own destiny, albeit a rough one. Imagine how Kennard felt, sidelined all year as he recovered from a torn pectoral muscle, forced to watch as the Trojans started the season ranked No. 1 then went into free fall.

“I was hurting for my teammates,” Kennard said recently. “We’re a family, and it was hard to see them go through what they went through. But that’s dead and gone now.”

What’s alive this year is USC’s defense, thanks in large part to Kennard’s stellar play as an edge-rushing linebacker. Now a redshirt senior, playing his third position, Kennard is thriving, and the Trojans will need him to be a disruptive force again if they hope to upset Arizona State on Saturday in Tempe.

In his fifth year, Kennard finally settled in. He arrived at USC in 2009 (from Phoenix’s Desert Vista High) as a defensive end, then moved to linebacker. In 2011, he moved back to defensive end.

Neither quite worked. Kennard couldn’t find the position that fit his unquestioned talent. He wasn’t quick enough to thrive at middle linebacker and wasn’t dynamic enough with his hand on the ground as an end.

So, when Clancy Pendergast took over as USC’s defensive coordinator in January, he split the difference. In the base package of USC’s new “52” scheme, Kennard is nominally a linebacker but lines up outside one of the opposing tackles and charges into the backfield as a stand-up edge rusher.

“In a way, I get to do everything I’ve done in the past, all at one time,” Kennard said. “This is the kind of position that allows me to do it all.”

Through four games this year, Kennard is tied for the team lead with four sacks and is credited with three other “quarterback hurries.” Last Saturday, he was a nightmare for Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton, a run-pass threat who didn’t do much of either, in part because of Kennard’s consistent pressure.

After a great overall game by USC’s defense, Coach Lane Kiffin singled out Kennard for his “relentless” play.

“He’s an Energizer Bunny out there,” Pendergast said. “He’s always on the move. He’s very active. I think the position he’s playing now, it really allows him to showcase his skills.”

Kennard got denied that chance last year. No stranger to injuries – he had separate surgeries on his hip and thumb in 2010 – Kennard tore a chest muscle while lifting weights in July of last year.

Surgery cost Kennard all of the 2012 season, and he had to sit and watch some of the worst defensive performances in school history, such as the Oregon game, in which USC allowed 62 points and 730 yards.

“I think that’s what has made him so hungry this year,” defensive end George Uko said. “He’s having another opportunity, a second chance. That doesn’t come around very often. I just feel like he’s ready to seize the opportunity and take advantage of it.”

On his Twitter profile, Kennard referenced a Bible passage that reads, in part, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” That’s a concise, accurate description of what Kennard brings to the Trojans.

Kennard is regularly the first scholarship player on the field, 20 minutes before the start of practices, but teammates didn’t select him as a captain simply because of punctuality. He’s their peer and their idol.

Out of pads, Kennard could pass for a USC coach. He looks older than his 22 years and speaks with maturity. Teammates talk about Kennard as a big brother, even though he’s only a year or two older.

“I follow everything DK does,” Uko said. “I’m trying to become who DK is, on and off the field, because he’s a great guy. He takes care of his body, always does the right things and makes the right decisions. He’s just a top-notch guy. Over the years, I’ve tried to become like him and model myself after him.”

Kennard has kept smiling, even through the injuries, even though he’s playing under his third defensive coordinator in five years.

Another big challenge awaits on Saturday night. USC will face Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly, one of the Pac-12’s most dynamic quarterbacks, before what figures to be a raucous crowd.

Because of the Pac-12’s schedule rotation, Kennard now gets to play a third game at Sun Devil Stadium, which is located only 14 miles northwest of his old high school. That might not make up for losing one (very frustrating) season, but Kennard isn’t complaining.

“I’m very excited,” Kennard said. “It’s a breath of fresh air to be where I’m at, and I thank God for how far I’ve come and where I’m at today.”

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